This invention relates to a rebounding exercise device, in particular one that simulates downhill skiing.
Exercises involving two legged hopping back and forth on the ground have been used in pre-season conditioning classes by ski instructor and coaches for many years. They teach quickness, agility, and the essential up and down weighting coordination used in making linked parallel ski turns. Such exercises build the important leg, arm, stomach, back and buttock muscles used for skiing as well as the kind of heart and lung conditioning used for quick explosive bursts of energy in downhill skiing
The disadvantage of these exercises is that they are often performed on a floor by leaping back and forth over a pillow for example. Leaping back and forth on a hard floor causes shock which may cause injuries to the ligaments and joints. It has also been suggested that these exercises be performed on a staircase to obtain more of the realism of downhill skiing, but this would surely increase the risk of injury.
It is an object of the present invention to enable one to perform exercises which strengthen and condition the muscles for use in downhill skiing without causing undue shock to the ligaments and joints.